iBall Slide WQ32: Windows 8.1 tablet with 3G launched at Rs 16,999

iBall has announced the Slide tablet at Rs 16,999, which is possibly the cheapest Windows tablet available in the country right now. Aimed at those who need a tablet for getting work done, this 8-inch iBall tablet comes with Microsoft Office 365 (free for one year), along with 1TB of free One Drive storage for creating backups on the cloud and Windows Defender for protection against malware.   The 8-inch display has a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. This might not give the sharpest images, but should be decent for most purposes such as working on Word documents and writing emails.   The tablet runs Microsoft Windows 8.1 operating system, powered by a quad-core Intel Atom processor. iBall claims that the processor also helps it optimise the tablet’s battery life. It’s backed by 2GB RAM and 16GB of built-in storage which you can boost up to 64GB. There’s a 5MP camera with flash on the back and a 2MP front camera for video calls and selfies - not bad at all for a tablet at this price.   Connectivity options include a micro HDMI port for hooking up the tablet to a TV or projector, micro USB for charging and transferring data, and a USB OTG slot for connecting USB flash drives such as a data dongle. There’s a 3G SIM slot as well,but it supports only slower WCDMA networks. Unfortunately, there’s no support for Wi-Fi, which means you might not get the fastest Internet.   You can connect the tablet to a wireless mouse or keyboard to use it as a laptop, though the 8-inch screen might be too cumbersome for easy viewing. iBall has promised a 10.1-inch tablet, which might work as a better substitute for a laptop. You can expect iBall to launch the 10.1-inch version towards the end of September.